Alan Shaw

CEO, Codexis

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By putting a price on carbon... we will create an industry.

As CEO of Codexis, Alan Shaw led the development of cost-advantaged processes for production of biofuels, biobased chemicals and pharmaceuticals. During his tenure, Codexis completed an IPO and expanded from a startup to a global industrial biotechnology company with operations in the United States, Europe and Asia. Shaw brought with him his expertise as a veteran biotechnology entrepreneur and chemical industry executive, with more than 25 years experience building and leading technology companies.

Shaw is currently President and CEO of Claysta. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Teesside University and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Durham, England, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Climate One Appearances

Next-generation biofuels are on the verge of a breakthrough but aren’t ready to displace conventional fuels, three Bay Area biofuel company CEOs say in this Climate One talk. The CEOs insist that their fuels must compete on price with conventional gasoline or diesel, with or without government support, or a price on carbon, which means they have to scale up, fast.

For biofuels to scale, all agree, they must be drop-in fuels. Meaning, says Jonathan Wolfson, CEO, Solazyme, “a fuel that fits directly into the existing infrastructure without modification.”